Drew Charter School picks internal candidate as new head of school

The celebrated public charter school in East Lake has hired its next leader from within its own ranks.

The Charles R. Drew Charter School Board of Directors said it named Peter McKnight as its second-ever head of school, succeeding Don Doran who is retiring after 10 years at Drew. Doran became the first head of school when the Junior and Senior Academy facility opened in 2014.

McKnight, current and founding principal of the senior academy, will begin his new role July 1, 2019.

McKnight was selected following a nationwide search led by Atlanta-based BoardWalk Consulting in partnership with the Head of School Search Committee. He was among three finalists to visit and tour campus to meet with parents, staff, students and community stakeholders.

“During the interview and community engagement process, it was clear that Mr. McKnight had the leadership skills, the ability to collaborate with families, staff and partners, and a deep understanding of and commitment to Drew’s mission that would make him an effective and successful Head of School for Drew Charter School,” said board chair Cynthia Kuhlman in an open letter dated April 22.

McKnight has served as principal of Drew Charter School’s Senior Academy since 2013. He was recently awarded a 2019 Georgia Charter School Leader of the Year Award.  

Prior to joining Drew, he worked as a teacher at South Atlanta High School. He later founded and led the South Atlanta School of Law and Social Justice.

“Through Mr. Doran’s leadership over the past 10 years, Drew has grown to be one of the highest performing schools in the city," McKnight said. "We are now a model for Pre-K, Project-Based Learning, STEAM and College and Career Readiness. It is a tremendous honor to steward Drew through the next phase as we continue on our mission to ensure equitable outcomes for all students."

Drew Charter School opened in 2000 as the city's first public charter school. It serves more than 1,800 students from kindergarten through 12th Grade, as part of its "cradle-to-college pipeline" approach. The school has been a major piece of the East Lake community revitalization led by the East Lake Foundation, founded by Cousins Properties Inc. (NYSE: CUZ) CEO Tom Cousins.

In 2017, the school's inaugural senior class had a 100 percent graduation rate and all were accepted to college.The 84 seniors from the Class of 2019 ranked as the top high school in Atlanta Public Schools, according to Decaturish.